


The Platonic Consolidation

by nerdforestgirl



Category: The Big Bang Theory (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2018-10-15 03:19:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10549182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdforestgirl/pseuds/nerdforestgirl
Summary: Sheldon suggests that he and Amy get married just as friends.  Alternate Universe.  Originally posted on tumblr in 2016





	1. Chapter 1

Sheldon wished there was such a thing as platonic marriage. That traitor Leonard married Penny and now he lived across the hall. Now he was alone. That is except for his new best friend and roommate, Amy Farrah Fowler. He knew she wouldn’t leave. She didn’t believe in romantic love either. At least he was safe here. Still, maybe he should try to get her to do something more drastic than sign a Roommate Agreement.

“Amy, would you be interested in marrying me?” Sheldon asked Amy without any interest running into his voice. He didn’t want her to think this was important to him, but it was. At least a little bit, it was.

“What? Why would we get married?” Amy asked.

“Well, my insurance is better than yours, and I’ve heard that married people live longer. Plus my mother has always wished for me to get married. I believe I can get a ring from her if such trinkets are important to you,” Sheldon said. He didn’t say that she was important to him, and even though they weren’t in a relationship (he didn’t believe that would have any value), he still needed to ensure that she didn’t leave him.

“Are you suggesting that we enter into a romantic relationship? I don’t know that I go in for all of that. I mean, you are attractive as far as human males go, but you know how I feel about romantic love,” Amy asked.

“No. Of course not. I just like the security of having you tied to me legally. After Leonard just up and left, I’d like to make sure you can’t just do the same thing. My Roommate Agreement is a well written document, but I’m not entirely sure that it would hold up the way a marriage certificate would. And you have to admit that we are rather close,” Sheldon explained. If Sheldon believed in soul mates, that’s the term he would have used. It didn’t mean that he was in love with her, but she was the best match he had ever stumbled across in all of his 35 years.

Amy took a deep breath. What he was saying wasn’t altogether wrong. Still, she wasn’t sure that this was what she wanted. It wouldn’t leave her open to pursue other relationships. What if she wanted children one day? She had found Zack attractive once. It seemed possible that she might want sexual intercourse one day. Amy expressed those feelings to Sheldon.

“I don’t see why we can’t have children one day,” Sheldon started. “The coitus seems unnecessary though.”

“I think those things are typically connected,” Amy reminded him.

“Not necessarily. We talked about a petri dish child before. I don’t see why we couldn’t do that.”

“Let me think about it,” Amy said. Something about the idea pulled at her. It was at least worth thinking about.

“Okay.”

Sheldon wondered if he had been hasty in suggesting that they get married. She had a point that they weren’t in a romantic relationship, and it wasn’t likely that they would enter into one. Still, Sheldon liked the idea of Amy Farrah Fowler being his wife. He loved her in a way that was more than friends, but not necessarily romantic. He knew he would be jealous if she were to enter into a romantic relationship with someone else. If they were married, this would stop that too. He would get exactly everything he wanted, which mostly meant that he would get Amy.

“Have you made a decision on the whole marriage thing?” Sheldon asked Amy when she took him to the grocery store thing the next day.

“Would we be able to have a real wedding, and can my mother think that it’s because we are hopelessly in love?” Amy asked. A little part of her had always wanted a real white dress and flowers and cake and a few other traditional things. Plus, she knew without a doubt that her mother would never agree that she marry a man in a situation that was part friendship, part business, and no romance.

“I don’t see why not. Though she might find it questionable that we aren’t overly affectionate, but I’m willing to hold hands for 30 seconds each visit for her benefit,” Sheldon agreed. He had already played the loving boyfriend for the benefit of Amy’s mother once. It wasn’t such a hardship. Plus he wanted her to get something out of this too.

“Okay. Let’s get married,” Amy agreed.

“Okay,” Sheldon said. There was no fanfare, but they were engaged. Near the dairy section of the grocery store. Sheldon didn’t think that he should get down on his knee to propose, but maybe he would ask his mother for that engagement ring. It might be a nice gesture. Plus a ring would make things seem more legitimate to Mrs. Fowler.

Sheldon actually did get down on his knee for Amy the day the ring actually came via FedEx. It had been complicated to explain to his mother that he was getting married to his best friend.

“You have a girlfriend? And you are getting married? Is she in a family way, Shelly?” Mary asked her son.

“No. I mean, I am getting married, but I don’t have a girlfriend. There’s no pregnancy,” Sheldon tried to explain.

“Are you with a boy? This is a hell of a way to tell me you like boys,” Mary said. She thought that she should be more bothered by this. Her church certainly would be, but mostly Mary just wanted her son to be happy. Still, she wished that he had been honest with her.

“I’m marrying a woman, but she isn’t my girlfriend. You have met Amy Farrah Fowler,” he tried again.

“You are marrying your little friend, Amy? But she’s not your girlfriend? And she’s not pregnant?” Mary asked.

“Correct,” Sheldon said. He was relieved that she finally seemed to understand.

“Why?” Mary asked. She didn’t want to discourage her son from getting married. Maybe this would mean more grandchildren for her, but she also wanted to make sure her son wasn’t making a mistake.

“Well, I care for her, I have better insurance, this will tie her to me legally, and we have spoken about having children together one day. It would be nice for them to have married parents if we do,” Sheldon tried to explain. He wished he could just make his mother understand that this was a good idea because Sheldon simply needed Amy in his life. Isn’t that why people got married?

“And you’re sure this is what you want?” Mary checked.

“Yes. Of course,” Sheldon said.

“Then, I’ll ship you the ring immediately. I wish I could bring it to you in person, but I have that church retreat, and I want you to have it as soon as possible.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

 

“Oh, goody. It’s here,” Sheldon said when the package from his mother arrived. He went to his desk to get a letter opener to help him open the box.

“What is?” Amy asked.

“Your engagement ring,” Sheldon said proudly. He finished opening the box and inspected the ring. Amy walked over to him to see what he was talking about. She assumed that they would wear wedding rings after they were married, but she thought that this engagement wouldn’t be long enough or worthy enough to merit its own ring.

“Amy Farrah Fowler, will you marry me?” Sheldon asked as he dropped to his knee in front of her. She had already agreed, but he thought it would be nice to give her a traditional proposal. He wasn’t sure why, but if Amy was going to be his wife, this wasn’t just for play. She deserved nice things.

“Yes,” Amy said with a smile. She looked at the ring as Sheldon slid it onto her finger, and had the urge to do something she had never wanted to do before. She wanted to kiss him. Those perfect lips were curved into a smile in response to her answer. Amy licked her own lips, but held back from pressing them to Sheldon’s. She would have to be drunk to pull something off that daring. The urge was so jolting that she almost handed him back the ring. If it was already changing the way she felt about Sheldon, she wasn’t sure that this marriage thing was the best idea.

Still, maybe it was just an engrained social idea. She knew she wasn’t in love with Sheldon. Nothing really needed to change between them. Instead, Amy hugged Sheldon and thanked him.

“I suppose one hug is okay,” Sheldon said. He pat Amy gently on the back once, and then they went back about their day.


	2. Chapter 2

Amy was twenty minutes into Girls’ Night with Penny when her friend noticed the antique diamond ring on Amy’s left hand.

“What’s with the ring?” Penny asked. It looked like an engagement ring, but Amy wasn’t dating anyone. She wasn’t even really dating Sheldon even though the pair was certainly close enough for it. Penny thought they would be cute together, but Amy always insisted that they were just friends. At best, Sheldon would generally scoff at the idea of any romantic attachment. At worst, he said he was incapable of love.

“Sheldon gave it to me. We’re getting married,” Amy explained. She should have known that Penny would notice the ring. She wondered how to explain. The truth seemed best.

“What?” Penny asked. She choked on the sip of wine she had just taken, and needed to set down her glass and catch her breath.

“Sheldon and I are getting married. We haven’t settled on a date yet, but we’ll be sure to send you an invitation when we do,” Amy said simply when Penny finally stopped coughing.

“You and Sheldon are getting married? Are you sleeping together? I thought he was above all of that,” Penny said. She was confused. This was really sudden. She had no idea that Sheldon and Amy had finally gotten together. Still, Penny smiled to herself. She loved the idea of the pair finally hooking up because it seemed so plain that they should be together.

“No. It’s more like a friendship marriage,” Amy tried to explain. “I mean, I love him, but not like that,” Amy admitted. She kept her increasing urges to kiss Sheldon to herself. It had happened twice more since Sheldon had given her the ring a couple days before. Of course Amy would get over that soon enough, and Penny was likely to mention something to Sheldon if Amy admitted that she had the occasional intimate leaning toward her fiance.

“So you are getting married, but you aren’t having sex or dating?” Penny said.

“Yeah,” Amy said.

“Alright,” Penny said. She wasn’t sure how she felt about all of this. It seemed strange to get married to someone that they freely admitted they didn’t feel any romantic attraction to, but Sheldon and Amy were both adults. They weren’t the kinds of people to just jump into something like this on a whim. There must be something there that she couldn’t see.

 

Both Sheldon and Amy had versions of this conversation over and over again to various people who had various levels of support. They ranged from Stuart’s mild disappointment and his asking Amy repeatedly if she was sure that she wanted to do this to Amy’s mother’s unrestrained delight. Then again, Amy’s mother was the only person who believed that Amy and Sheldon were in love.

“You two are finally tying the knot?” Amy’s mother asked with tears in her eyes.

“Yes, Mother,” Amy said.

“How did he ask?” Mrs. Fowler asked.

“He called his mother for the ring, and then he got on one knee in our apartment. It was really quite sweet,” Amy explained. She left out the spontaneous first proposal and when she agreed in the grocery store. Her mother knew that she and Sheldon lived together, but she was also aware that they didn’t share a room. After the eighth lecture about how Amy really should have waited for marriage, Amy came clean to her mother about how they hadn’t actually done it. At least Amy was sure that she wasn’t going to get locked in a closet for it.

 

When Leonard found out he thought it was utterly ridiculous, but nothing he could say to Sheldon could talk him out of this. He tried to rein his friend in, but it wasn’t working.

“What if you fall in love with someone else?” Leonard asked.

“That is unlikely. I’ve never been this close to love with anyone other than Amy. Besides, it’s not like we couldn’t get our marriage annulled,” Sheldon said.

“If you are going into it with the idea that you can just separate, why are you bothering? You can just live with Amy. The marriage part is ridiculous.”

“A lot of people go into marriage knowing it could be ended. We aren’t taking this as lightly as you seem to believe. We are going to sign a prenuptial agreement, and we do intend to live together for the rest of our lives. We might even have children together.” Sheldon didn’t understand why his friend was so upset about his life choices.

“It’s my life, Leonard. I didn’t complain when you moved out,” Sheldon told him.

“You did. You said that I needed to give you six months notice. Howard told me that he had to step on your foot not to formally object at the ceremony,” Leonard reminded him.

“Okay. Now I have someone else living with me, and we are getting married. Just like you did,” Sheldon said.

“It’s a sham marriage,” Leonard snapped.

“How is it any different than yours?”

“I love Penny.”

“I love Amy,” Sheldon admitted. “I mean, well, I don’t love Amy. Well—I care for Amy. I don’t love her. Don’t tell her I said that,” Sheldon stammered.

“Then why are you being so insistent that you marry her? It would be one thing if you did love Amy, but you are here flat out stating that you don’t,” Leonard countered.

“I care about her,” Sheldon said softly. He didn’t know why he said that he loved her before. He didn’t. He told himself that over and over, and he almost believed it.

 

Sheldon had asked Leonard to be his Best Man, but he wasn’t sure if his friend would participate in the wedding. Every time it was brought up, Leonard expressed his disagreement with this whole situation.

“It’s his life,” Penny said to her husband with a shrug. It wasn’t like she exactly agreed with what Sheldon and Amy were doing, but they seemed to have thought this through. They also seemed really happy whenever they spoke about their upcoming nuptials. 

“It’s idiotic,” Leonard muttered. It was ridiculous to marry someone even when they knew they didn’t love them. It was like some weird arranged marriage, but Sheldon and Amy were choosing it themselves. Leonard could not understand.


	3. Chapter 3

Sheldon let Amy do a lot of the planning for the wedding. If it were up to him, they would just run to the courthouse and get it over with. Still, if she was going to be his wife, she deserved the best. They were hanging out and talking about the caterer when Amy decided to change the subject.

It had been gnawing at her for weeks. She thought that maybe a little kiss with Sheldon would help her feel more comfortable with the rare, but still very real urges she had to kiss him. She was sure that if she just knew what it actually felt like to kiss him, this would all be much easier for her.

“Do you think we should kiss a couple times just to practice for the wedding?” she asked.

“Why on Earth would we need to practice?” Sheldon asked. He had honestly not once thought about kissing Amy. He wasn’t exactly sure what his feelings for her were, but kissing wasn’t one of them.

“Well, I have only kissed one person one time, and you have even less experience than I do. Plus I don’t want our first kiss to be in the church in front of everyone,” Amy said. This was all true. She didn’t want to look like she had never kissed anyone in front of all of those people. It might be strange enough kissing Sheldon, and it might be easier if she had done it at least once before.

“Do we have to kiss?” Sheldon asked. It didn’t sound as bad as he expected it to, but he was still unsure if he actually wanted to. Amy had a little bit of a point. If he hadn’t agreed to trick her mother, then he wouldn’t agree, but he had said he would help Amy sell this as a romantic marriage.

“Not regularly, but it’s traditional, and my mother will expect it. I think that we should kiss at the wedding,” Amy said.

Sheldon sighed. He leaned over and kissed Amy on the cheek.

“On the lips,” Amy tried. Though the kiss on the cheek had been enough to leave her breathless. She didn’t know if she could handle one on the lips.

Sheldon leaned over and tenderly kissed Amy on her lips. He meant for it to be very quick, but somewhere in the back of his head, he urged himself on. His hand went to her waist and he kept kissing her for several seconds.

“Wow,” Amy said breathlessly after Sheldon broke away from her. “That was nice,” she added when she touched her lips with the tips of her fingers. She didn’t think he needed the practice, but she almost said that he did just to get another one. It was like when he proposed. Amy wanted to kiss him. Again, she almost called off the wedding right then. These urges weren’t like her, and the lack of control scared her. It was supposed to lessen the feeling, but instead Amy thought about jumping in Sheldon’s lap, grabbing his face, and kissing him until their lips were raw.

“Yeah. It was okay,” Sheldon agreed.

Amy took in a deep breath. “Maybe one more? Just to be sure?”

“Okay,” Sheldon agreed too quickly. Then he leaned over and put his hand straight on her waist. Then he winked at her and kissed her again. This time Amy was in less of a shock and put her hand on his shoulder. He almost enjoyed the contact. Kissing Amy was actually much more pleasant than he ever expected.

“Yeah. I think we’re ready to kiss at the wedding,” Sheldon said. Though, he wasn’t opposed to the idea of a bit more practice. They could look like a real couple if they practiced a little more.

Amy wondered if she should explain how she was feeling. It didn’t seem fair to marry Sheldon when she was feeling attracted to him the way she was. It felt like a lie, but she also suspected that Sheldon would cancel everything if she said she loved him. Maybe it was still infatuation. Amy had never in her life let herself feel like romantic love could be a reality. This was just the little girl fantasy working itself out.

“That’s not half bad,” Amy muttered. She could still feel a sweet tingle on her lips. She didn’t know that kissing could feel like that.

“No. It wasn’t,” Sheldon agreed.

“Maybe more practice? Just every now and again between now and the wedding,” Amy suggested. She didn’t think they needed the practice, but she certainly wanted it.

Sheldon thought on it, and he wasn’t opposed to some more kissing. Maybe he would even research a few more techniques. If he was going to be a married man soon, maybe he should become an expert kisser. It could just be another thing he excelled at.

“Okay,” he agreed.

Amy’s heart melted. She had somehow gotten Sheldon to agree to kiss her regularly between now and the wedding. She hated that she felt like she had tricked him into it, but it also felt like a victory.

Sheldon returned her smile. Kissing wasn’t quite the challenge it first seemed. In fact, it seemed like a pretty good deal. And he had an end date of the wedding for when he grew tired of it.

 

The next week, Sheldon and Amy were having a double date with Leonard and Penny. Sheldon and Amy didn’t call it a double date because even though they were getting married in a week, they still didn’t consider it dating. Still, they were enjoying dinner and a movie with their friends.

At the movie, Sheldon was holding Amy’s hand. Penny thought that was really sweet. As much as they claimed that this was strictly a platonic marriage, she thought they were getting much closer than they were before. If she didn’t know better, she would have believed that they flirted regularly now. She was shocked when Sheldon leaned over and placed a sweet peck on Amy’s lips.

“You are dating,” Penny whispered to Sheldon.

“No we aren’t,” he said.

“You just kissed her. I saw it.”

“We kiss sometimes. We are practicing for the kiss at the ceremony,” Sheldon explained. He wasn’t sure if it was still practicing when he just wanted to give Amy a quick peck because she told a joke he found amusing, but for now it was a solid excuse.

Penny rolled her eyes. She didn’t know what was up with these two, but it was definitely more than friendship. She guessed it was good that they seemed to have some romantic leanings if they were going to get married. Penny wondered if they had actually been dating for a while, but this whole platonic marriage thing was some kind of trick. She leaned over and pointed to Sheldon and Amy who were practically pressing their foreheads together as they chatted.

“They kissed. I saw it,” Penny whispered to Leonard.

“They did?” Leonard asked. That didn’t sound like Sheldon at all. Leonard couldn’t remember how many times his friend had explained how disgusting kissing was. “On the lips?” Leonard clarified.

“Yeah. They are totally dating. If they are in love, why don’t they just admit it? It would make their getting married make so much more sense,” Penny told her husband.

“I don’t know,” Leonard said. Then the movie started, and he couldn’t talk to Penny about this right now. Still, he looked over at Sheldon and Amy a few times. She had her head on Sheldon’s shoulder and had her hand in his. Once Leonard even saw Sheldon bring Amy’s hand to his mouth and give it a quick kiss. Maybe Penny had a point about their friends maybe actually being in love. Leonard decided to stop trying to get them to put an end to this nonsense. They were happy, and it wasn’t his life.


	4. Chapter 4

When Sheldon and Amy’s wedding day arrived, he didn’t feel the least bit nervous. He was frustrated with himself because he didn’t get a good night’s sleep in Howard and Bernadette’s guest room. He still wasn’t quite sure why he had to spend the night away from Amy. They didn’t share a room in their apartment, but he still followed the tradition. Instead, here he was getting dressed in his suit alone when the door opened, and Amy rushed inside.

“Amy,” Sheldon chastised while he covered his eyes. She was in her dress, and even though he didn’t believe in luck, he still thought that he shouldn’t look.

“Should we still do this?” Amy asked as she leaned against the door.

“Get married?” Sheldon asked. He peeked through his fingers to look at her, and while she certainly looked worried, he couldn’t deny that she was also a very beautiful woman. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and wondered why his mouth was watering. Then he was concerned by the expression on his face and became focused on that instead.

“Yes. I don’t think we should do this,” Amy said. She had come to terms with the fact that she was utterly, completely, head over heels in love with Sheldon. That felt like a reason to marry him, but since he had no idea she was in love with him, it also felt like a lie.

“I think we should. We care about each other. We talked about every reason why this is a good idea,” Sheldon told her.

“You care for me?” Amy asked. Maybe he was feeling a little like she was, and he really wanted to marry her. Maybe even if he didn’t love her now, it would come. It had certainly hit Amy like a freight train. Amy still did want to marry Sheldon, but she also wanted to make out with him on their couch. She wanted to sleep in his bed. She even thought about having sex with him.

“Yes. Now, get out. I’m not supposed to see you in your dress,” Sheldon complained and pushed Amy back out of the room. “Meet me at the alter,” he shouted through the door.

 

Amy decided that she could do this. It was easier than telling him the truth, and she was in a white dress in a church about to marry the man she loved with all of her heart. It still felt a little wrong marrying him, but it also felt right. Amy told herself that everything would work out, but she wasn’t sure if lying to Sheldon had just made it easier to lie to herself.

Amy did meet Sheldon at the alter with her mother walking her down the aisle. Their vows were traditional. There wasn’t anything untrue about them. They did want to take care of each other in sickness and in health. Sheldon winked at Amy when he leaned down to kiss her. They had plenty of practice at kissing by now, but the feeling of Sheldon’s arms around her and the slight dip he gave her still left Amy feeling breathless.

“We’re married now,” Amy whispered.

“We are,” Sheldon said with a smile. His arm was around her waist as he looked at the crowd clapping for them. She was his beautiful bride, and he couldn’t be more proud of both of them.

Sheldon whisked Amy out of the church and to the car that was going to take them to the reception.

“I can’t believe we did it,” Amy said with a giggle.

“I know,” Sheldon said. He leaned in close to Amy and kissed her. He had no reason to practice kissing anymore, but he decided it was a habit now. Amy’s hand went to his chest inside of his jacket, and Sheldon liked the way that felt. He put his hand on her chest, and realized he was grabbing her breast. “Sorry,” he said. He pulled both his mouth and hand away from her.

“It’s okay.” Amy almost grabbed his hand and put it back. He had never been handsy with her, but this new development thrilled her. Something happened with those vows, and Amy was sure he felt it too.

Sheldon was a little shaken. He didn’t mind a little kissing, but he wasn’t supposed to want to touch her body. He moved to the other side of the seat and looked out the window. Getting married wasn’t going to change anything. They agreed. And yet, here he was, not married more than twenty minutes, and he was putting his hands all over Amy. He blamed her. He blamed the kissing.

Amy slid closer to him and grabbed his hand. Not to make him touch her again, but just to provide comfort. She was surprised when he ripped his hand out of hers.

“Is everything okay?” Amy asked. He was so playful just a moment ago, but his attitude shifted suddenly.

“I’m fine,” he snapped. He didn’t like this version of himself. The affectionate husband wasn’t who he was supposed to be. He was supposed to still be himself, but part of him thought that they were married now. He could kiss and touch her if he pleased.

“You don’t sound fine,” Amy said.

“Okay. I’m not fine. I don’t like what this marriage is doing to me. We should get it annulled,” Sheldon said. “You were right to have reservations. This was a mistake.”

“We haven’t gotten to the reception yet and you already want to end our marriage? What do you mean you don’t like what it’s doing to you?”

Sheldon sighed. “I put my hand on your breast. This was never supposed to be about romance or physical intimacy. It was supposed to be about us finding common ground.”

Amy took a deep breath. She was a little stung that Sheldon flat out said that he didn’t want romance. She knew that’s what he had always said, but she also hoped that his love for her had been growing and evolving the way her own had. Especially after he kissed her on his own just for fun and put his hand on places his hands had never gone before.

“Let’s just take some time,” she said. She put her hand on Sheldon’s knee. “Nothing will change. I mean, we’re going to go on vacation together for the next week, but when we get home, we won’t share a room or anything. We can keep things exactly how they have been. If it’s still too much after a month or two, we can talk about it. I’m sure you are just overwhelmed by the wedding.”

Sheldon nodded. He leaned over to kiss her again, but this time it was just on the cheek. She had a point. They knew their reasons for getting married. Of course he didn’t know what it felt like to be married. It would take a little while to get used to it.

They went into the reception where they danced and had some cake and enjoyed the company of their friends. Sheldon and Amy kissed a few more times, and Sheldon told himself that it was mostly for the benefit of the mother of the bride.

“I thought this was a silly idea, but you two are awfully sweet together,” Mary told the couple when she came over to congratulate them.

“Thank you, Mrs. Cooper,” Amy said.

“You take care of my boy,” Mary told her.

“Of course,” Amy said. She had tears pricking at the corner of her eye. Sheldon was hers, and she really did love him.

Sheldon put a kiss on Amy’s temple. He was being pretty affectionate, but he reminded himself that Amy said everything would go back to normal soon.

 

Mrs. Fowler pulled Amy aside before the end of the reception. Amy thought the jig was up about her marriage, but it turned out that her mother just wanted to talk about sex.

“Mother, I know how it works.”

“I know you understand that, but it’s different when you are actually experiencing it,” Amy’s mother said. Sheldon and Amy had once lied to her that they were physically intimate, but the truth about that had come out by accident a while ago. Mrs. Fowler had been appreciative about her daughter waiting for marriage like she had always taught.

Amy wished she could just explain that she and Sheldon weren’t going to have sex tonight or any time in the foreseeable future, but that would give everything away. Still, it might have been worth it to get out of this conversation.

“It won’t be like the movies. It might be a little uncomfortable,” Amy’s mother started.

“Please, Mother. I know,” Amy said. She covered her ears.

“Oh. You and Sheldon have already?”

“No. I mean I know it’s not like the movies. Can we not talk about this? Not here?”

“Fine,” Amy’s mother said. She just wanted to make sure that Amy was prepared, but she let her daughter go.

 

“My mom wanted to talk to me about sex,” Amy whispered to Sheldon when she got back to him.

“Why?”

“Because she thinks we are going to do it when we get out of here. Speaking of which, when do you want to go?”

“We need to leave within the next hour. Sooner if you want to stop by at home to change,” Sheldon said as he looked at his phone. Their flight was in a few hours, and he wanted to make sure that they got to the airport in time.

“Maybe we should start making our goodbyes then,” Amy said with a smile.

“Okay,” Sheldon said. He took Amy’s hand into his and they started saying goodbye to their friends and family.

“Have fun on your honeymoon. Whatever that means,” Penny said to the couple while she hugged Amy tightly.

“We will,” Amy said. Their honeymoon was more museums and and reasonable bed times than it was daiquiris and lengthy love making sessions, but it was what Sheldon and Amy would call a good time.


	5. Chapter 5

Sheldon and Amy went back to their apartment to change before heading out to the airport. Amy slid her hand into Sheldon’s. Since she talked him down, he seemed to be better about physical affection.

On the other end of their flight, Sheldon checked them into their hotel. Since Sheldon booked the whole honeymoon, Amy was excited to see that it was one room. She was glad that they would get to spend the whole week together. Plus they had never shared a room before.

“Which bed do you want?” Amy asked as they hauled their suitcases into the room.

“I’ll take this one,” Sheldon said. He set his things down the bed closer to the window. Amy set her things on the one next to it.

“Should we share a bed tonight?” Amy asked after a moment. She wasn’t even sure why she asked, but she decided that it sounded like fun.

“Why would we do that?” Sheldon asked in alarm. Did she want to be physical with him? Was he ready for that? He may have included a small box of condoms in his suitcase, but he really didn’t believe that he would need them. It seemed best to just be prepared.

“I don’t know. We’re married now. I thought that maybe we could change into our pajamas, order some room service, and hang out,” Amy suggested. She was too tired to do more than that. Plus it wasn’t like Sheldon would want to have sex.

“Very well. You may lie in my bed for the duration of one movie or two television shows and then you move back to your bed to sleep,” Sheldon suggested. He was relieved that she didn’t seem to be implying that they should have sex. Sheldon ignored the little disappointed feeling pulling at the tiniest corner of the back of his mind.

“Okay,” Amy agreed. Maybe sleeping in the same bed would be a little much for their first night together. Maybe it would be too much for any night, but at least she could be close to him for a bit.

They ate their dinner in their pajamas and then climbed into Sheldon’s bed. They didn’t touch, but Amy could still smell the nice baby powder scent of her husband and she could feel his heat. He was so warm and comfortable.

“I love you, Sheldon,” Amy said. She had never said it in so many words to him, but it was still true.

“Now, Amy,” he chastised.

“Not like that, but I love you. I’m happy that we’re married because I love having you in my life. You are my best friend and I love you.” Part of it was a bald faced lie, but Amy didn’t want to scare Sheldon. Not after the way he reacted after he touched her. Still, she wanted to make sure he knew that she loved him. Truly. And she was ecstatic to be married to him.

“Fine. I love you too,” he said. He tried to sound serious, but he was smiling ear to ear. He could admit that to some degree he did love Amy. It hadn’t been something he could admit to Leonard weeks ago, but he could tell Amy now.

Sheldon turned on the movie, and they both settled in to watch it. Before it was over, Amy was fast asleep next to him. She had sworn to go back to her own bed to sleep. He reached over to shake her awake when she rolled closer to him and snuggled up to him.

“Vixen,” Sheldon muttered under his breath. She was so beautiful. The Amy in her wedding dress was stunning, but this girl without makeup or done up hair was the girl he loved. Her features looked so soft in sleep. Sheldon just took off her glasses and set them on the table next to him. He turned off the television and settled in to sleep next to his wife.

In the morning, Amy smiled to herself. She didn’t even know why she was smiling as she woke up until she realized that her husband had his arm casually wrapped around her waist. It felt so safe and warm. She turned toward him and snuggled into his chest. Sheldon’s arm tightened around her and pulled her even closer.

“You cheated,” he muttered.

“I accidentally fell asleep. You should have woken me and sent me over there,” she said.

“Like I could do that. I don’t think you’ve seen how cute you are when you’re asleep,” he said.

“That’s dangerously close to flirting,” Amy teased.

“Who cares? You’re my wife now. I may flirt with you if I like,” Sheldon said. He pressed his lips to her forehead.

For the rest of the honeymoon, Amy slept in her own bed, but she didn’t forget that feeling of waking up in Sheldon’s arms. She was hopelessly in love with him, and everyday it felt even stronger. She had long since given up on trying to fight her feelings about romantic love. She just couldn’t tell Sheldon that. Not when he didn’t feel the same way.


	6. Chapter 6

Back at home, Sheldon and Amy went back to separate rooms, and they actually returned to their pre-wedding life with very few changes. They kissed less without the excuse of “practicing”, but still occasionally. They were still best friends, so they spent a lot of time together. On the other hand, they certainly weren’t joined at the hip. There was no honeymoon phase of adorable affection and lovey dovey activity. Still, they both felt like the marriage was a good idea. Sheldon showed Amy off at work functions as his wife. Amy felt better at family functions now that people stopped harassing her about when she was going to get married. That was until they started asking when little ones were coming.

“At least a year. She agreed to that when I asked her to marry me,” Sheldon said with his hand on her waist. He had originally assured her that he would only give her a short amount of hand holding at her family gatherings, but he generally touched her the whole time. Once, if she didn’t know better she would have believed that he squeezed her rear end.

 

One night about a month after Sheldon and Amy were married, he woke to the sounds of her screaming. Sheldon rushed into his wife’s room to find that she was still asleep, but thrashing and screaming. He walked to her and managed to get her calmed down.

“What?” Amy asked. She was breathing quickly and she was crying. She had no idea what was going on, and Sheldon was standing over her.

“You were screaming,” Sheldon said.

“Night terror. I’m fine,” she assured him.

Sheldon pursed his lips in thought and told her to scoot over. Then he climbed into her bed and wrapped his arm around her. He pressed his lips to the top of her head. When Sheldon had a nightmare, he didn’t like to be alone. He assumed Amy felt the same way, so he just settled in to sleep in her bed. If his presence could be a comfort, he felt like it was his role as a husband to offer it.

For the second time since they married, Amy woke in the arms of her husband. She wanted to wake up this way every day of her life.

“Thank you,” Amy said.

“No problem,” he told her. It really hadn’t been any issue for him to comfort her. She was special that way.

“I like this,” Amy said. Then she pressed her face into Sheldon’s chest so that she didn’t have to see his face when he told her that he couldn’t do this again.

“Me too,” Sheldon admitted instead.

“Do you want to sleep over here sometimes?” Amy asked with too much hope. Of course he would say no. She knew that, but she also had to ask.

“Oh goodness, no,” Sheldon said. Amy’s heart sank even though she knew it’s what he would say. “But you could move into mine,” he added after a beat. It sounded appealing to have her so close to him. It was hardly scandalous to have one’s wife sleep in their bed, and if she had more nightmares or night terrors then he would be right there for her. This was for her, he thought. Not because he had any real wish to cuddle with his wife before bed despite the fact that she always ended up in his arms as soon as he let down his guard.

“Really?”

“If you want. Though I have the right to send you back if it isn’t working out, and no coitus,” he told her.

“Okay,” Amy agreed.

 

Amy’s bedtime schedule changed a little. It was much more strict than it had been when she slept on her own. Now she went into her bedroom to change before meeting Sheldon right at 10:30 to go to bed. She thought he would insist on quiet when they got into bed, but he allotted fifteen minutes for them to talk about their days. Amy usually stole a few cuddles during this time unless Sheldon beat her to it.

“How was work?” Sheldon asked as he propped himself up on his elbow and started to brush the random loose strands of hair out of Amy’s face. She smiled at him because she never thought they would be this close. Ever since she realized that she loved him, this was a dream come true. She tried not to let herself believe that he loved her too, but the evidence was mounting that he felt something akin to love for her.

“It was good. I got treats for all of my lab monkeys. It makes me feel better about having to draw blood. And, well, you know, dissect their brains later,” Amy told him. “How was yours?”

“Good. Well, Leonard threatened to leave me on the side of the road again, but he didn’t, so it was fine.” Then Sheldon leaned down to kiss Amy. He always kissed her goodnight when she stayed in his bed. His arm snaked around her, and he promised himself that this was the last night he was going to hold her like this. Of course, he had made the same promise the night before and the night before that. It was just hard not to have a concrete reminder that she was there next to him.

“Goodnight, Dr. Cooper,” Amy said with a yawn.

“Goodnight, Dr. Fowler,” Sheldon returned.

 

Most nights were like that one. Sometimes Sheldon and Amy would stay up too late talking, but they mostly went to sleep quickly. Until one night when Sheldon started acting strange. At first he just kept stealing kisses from Amy. She thought he was being funny, so she giggled as he kept kissing her. Then his kisses were more passionate. They were longer and with more intensity. It felt like they were really making out. Sheldon’s hands started roaming her body over her nightgown, and he climbed on top of her.

“What’s gotten into you tonight?” Amy asked. She was starting to feel uncomfortably aroused. She thought that she might need to spend a little time alone to take care of it after Sheldon went to sleep.

“I can’t stop thinking about it. You are in my bed every night, and I can’t take it anymore,” Sheldon muttered against her neck.

“You want me to go?” Amy asked.

“No. I want you to take off your nightgown and have coitus with me,” he said. “I know we agreed that we wouldn’t, but I want you. I can’t take it anymore. We’re married. It’s okay. Just this once, okay?”


	7. Chapter 7

Coitus had crept into Sheldon’s thoughts so many times over the last few days that he thought he was going crazy. His actions were pulling him closer to it even if his mind was telling him to slow down. The only thing he knew that would make him stop was Amy finally telling him to. They had agreed not to, so she would get them out of this mess.

Amy’s jaw dropped. She had been thinking about having sex with Sheldon since around the time they got married, but she had never actually believed that they might. He had always been very firm on that point until now. Even now that they often slept in the same bed, it never seemed like it would be a reality.

“Okay. We don’t have to, but think about it,” Sheldon said when she didn’t say anything. Saying nothing was like saying no, right? He pulled his lips away from her neck and climbed off of her.

“No. I’m ready,” Amy shouted with a little quiver in her voice. She pulled at her nightgown. She excitedly took it off over her head, and realized that it left her almost naked. Despite wanting this for a while, she was a little nervous. Would it hurt? Would she know what to do? How would it feel?

Sheldon gave her a gentle smile, and looked like every single one of his dreams came true at once. “You are so beautiful. I’m a very lucky man,” he murmured in her ear.

Amy felt a little better when he said that. She reached for Sheldon’s buttons and started undoing them one by one. It felt like her hands couldn’t work fast enough, but once she was done, Sheldon shrugged off his shirt. Then he pulled off his t-shirt before kissing Amy again. She loved the way his skin felt against hers. Amy pushed at Sheldon’s pants, and he understood. He pushed them down.

Sheldon slid his hand between Amy’s legs, and rubbed her. He smirked when she moaned softly and put her head back. He had been trying to deny his feelings about this, but he had also done a little bit of research about what might feel good for his wife. If he was going to give in to his urges he better make it worth it.

“Oh, wow,” Amy said.

“Does that feel good?” Sheldon asked. He really wanted to know, but he also asked it more aggressively than he needed to. He wanted her to admit that he was making her feel pleasure.

“Yes. God, yes,” Amy moaned.

Sheldon pulled his hand away from Amy, and he gave her a grin when she made a sad little sound. He finished undressing and climbed back on top of her. He pressed his lips to hers while she grabbed at his shoulders and back. He was leaving her frustrated. That was until he reached down and slid himself into her.

“Wow,” Amy said again. She couldn’t believe that her husband was actually making love to her. He was so strong and sturdy as he moved on top of her. She grabbed his arm to make sure that it was really happening. It felt a bit like a dream.

“Does it hurt?” Sheldon checked.

“No. It feels like you were built specifically for me,” Amy answered. She didn’t know if she was making any sense. She just felt like this was much better than she ever imagined it might be. Still, Sheldon nodded like he understood exactly what she meant.

When it was over, Amy lay in awe next to Sheldon. Amy didn’t know where Sheldon learned all of that, but she was grateful. Her mother was right that it wasn’t like the movies. It had been slower and quieter and awkward at times, but she still enjoyed it immensely. She put her head on his chest and he rubbed small circles on her back.

“That was great,” she breathed.

“Yes. That was nice,” Sheldon agreed. “Too bad we won’t do it again,” he added.

“No. You can’t do this to me, Sheldon Cooper. I am utterly in love with you, and we are married and we agreed that it felt good. Why can’t we do it again?”

“You’re in love with me?” Sheldon was filled with panic.

“Of course I am. I care barely stop myself from kissing you every time I see you. I know I said romantic love wasn’t for me, but it is. I love you with all of my heart.” She was exposed and raw from the experience of making love to her husband for the first time, and she couldn’t keep her feelings to herself. Somewhere she knew that this might be a bad idea to finally admit that she was in love with him, but they did have sex. The relationship between them had shifted.

“You said you wouldn’t do this to me. You said nothing would change.”

“Sheldon, we have been sleeping in the same bed for weeks. We just had sex. Are you telling me that you don’t feel anything for me? Nothing? That we could get divorced tomorrow and it would be the same to you as today?”

Sheldon didn’t know what to say. He had been trying to ignore the changes in his life, but he loved Amy. His heart ached with how much he loved her, and if they got a divorce, it would crush him. He just nodded to her because his throat was thick with emotion. The panic he felt subsided when he admitted to himself that he loved her. That’s what that feeling had been all along, he realized. It felt wonderful to acknowledge it for once.

“It would be the same? You honestly don’t feel anything for me?” Amy said. She misunderstood his gesture, and then she climbed out of his bed and went back to her own room. She was heartbroken that her husband really didn’t feel anything. This was what she signed up for, but her love had grown so much for Sheldon in such a short time. She thought he must have something similar happening to him. She hoped. She couldn’t believe she was wrong.

Sheldon followed her into her room after a moment. He found her crying and curled into a ball on her bed. He climbed into her bed next to her. He wrapped his arms around her even though she tried to shrug him off. Instead he just held her tighter.

“Of course I love you. Of course it would devastate me if we got a divorce. I think I knew I loved you when I asked you to marry me. That’s why it felt like such a relief to kiss you and touch you and have you in my bed. I would have willingly had coitus with you on our honeymoon if you had asked. I would have acted like it was a huge favor, but I would have done it without a second thought. I love you so much. I’ve loved you for years.”

“Really?” Amy asked. The sex was nice, and the fact that he really did enjoy touching her was comforting, but it was the fact that he loved her the way she loved him that made her over the moon. He admitted it. It wasn’t all in her head. He. Loved. Her.

Sheldon nodded again and Amy stretched to press a kiss to his lips. Then to his neck. She couldn’t help herself, and it didn’t seem that he minded. His arms went around her for a moment.

“You have to give me a little more time than that,” Sheldon said as he pushed her back a little.. Then he lifted Amy and took her back to his bed. When he threw her down on his bed, she let out a squeal of delight. Then Sheldon climbed back on top of her to kiss her more.

 

On Sheldon’s six month wedding anniversary, he came home with flowers in hand. He wasn’t exactly sure why he brought them for his wife, but he decided it was worth it when she lit up at the sight.

“Happy Anniversary,” he said as he handed over the flowers.

“I forgot. I didn’t get you anything,” Amy said. Still, she got on her toes and kissed Sheldon on the lips. Then she stepped away from Sheldon to put the flowers in water.

“I know something you could get me,” Sheldon said with an eyebrow wiggle.

“You always want that,” Amy said with a laugh. She never would have guessed that in the three months since they had started having coitus that Sheldon would enjoy it so much. Still, she wasn’t complaining. He was an excellent lover.

“I didn’t mean that. Though, I wouldn’t be opposed. I meant that you could take me to the train store,” Sheldon told his wife. Then he walked over to her and put his arm around her waist. It still felt strange to want to have this kind of physical contact, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world. He pressed his lips to the top of Amy’s head.

“Would you do it differently if you could do it all over again?” Amy asked.

“Would I do what differently?”

“Us? This? Would you take things slower between us? Would you fall in love and then propose?” Amy asked. “Or would you maybe even never propose?”

“I was in love when I proposed. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was. And as far as going slower, I wouldn’t change the way we did that either. Being married to you has been immensely fulfilling,” Sheldon told his wife.

“I wasn’t in love with you when you proposed,” Amy admitted.

“I know. My guess is that you fell in love with me right before the wedding. That’s when I noticed that you would look at me with this funny little smile on your face,” Sheldon said. He squeezed Amy to him a little. Amy smiled at him. “Yes. That one,” he added.

“I never hid it well, did I?” Amy asked.

“No, but I was in denial,” Sheldon admitted. “Now, come on. You can buy me a new train car and then we’ll come back home and have coitus,” he added.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue

Part 1: 

“Would you and Penny like to go on a double date with myself and Amy this weekend?” Sheldon asked Leonard while they were at work one day.

“A double date? I thought you and Amy weren’t dating,” Leonard teased. He still didn’t understand his friends’ relationship, but he was past judging it.

“Well, we are not because we are married, but I believe that a night out with romantic intentions is still considered ‘a date,’ yes?” Sheldon asked.

“Romantic intentions?” Leonard asked.

“Yes. Amy and I have declared our love for each other, and we are now in a romantic relationship,” Sheldon explained. It still felt weird to admit to himself—let alone anyone else—that he loved Amy, but it was true no matter how much he thought about it. As strange as it was, it was also freeing. Sheldon didn’t think there was anything to hide about being in love with his wife.

“That’s cute,” Leonard said. “I’m glad that you guys are happy.” Leonard loved both Sheldon and Amy and he was excited that they were happy together. He had been so scared of one or both of them getting hurt by this whole marriage thing. Instead, it brought them closer together.

“Oh. We’re more than happy,” Sheldon said with a nod.

“What does that mean?” Leonard asked.

“It means that I am going to go home and make my wife dinner and then we are planning on having coitus and I get to go to sleep with her in my arms. It means that I am quite blissful. It seems that I was always meant to be a married man. I am happier than I have been in a very long time,” Sheldon explained.

Leonard started choking on his water. None of that sounded like Sheldon, but then again, he supposed that love could do that. “Coitus?”

“Yes. It’s very satisfying. Amy and I are very good at it. Amy achieved multiple orgasms on Friday, and she told me that she would not falsely indicate that she had because it would not be helpful for me to learn what she likes. I have to say that I agree. As far as her being good at it, I know that because I’ve experienced it. She does this thing with her–,” Sheldon bragged.

Leonard covered his ears because this was starting to be a little bit too much information for him. He had no idea that his friend was having sex, and he suddenly wished it was still that way.

“Oh. I wasn’t supposed to say anything,” Sheldon blurted with wide eyes. He and Amy had agreed to wait for a couple of months after their first experience to tell their friends about it in case either of them decided that they didn’t want to continue.

“I won’t say anything. In fact, I don’t want to think about yours and Amy’s sex life ever again,” Leonard said.

Sheldon smiled because he was glad that his friend would keep his secret.

Part 2:

Amy meekly knocked on Penny’s door. She was excited to tell her friend about what happened the night before, but Sheldon had also sworn her to secrecy. Yes. He admitted that he loved her, but he was worried that his overwhelming desire for his wife had been a one time thing. Still, Amy felt like she might explode if she didn’t tell anyone.

“Hey. You look happy,” Penny said when she saw her friend at her door.

“Is Leonard here? I need to talk to you, but you have to swear to keep it a secret. You can’t tell anyone including Leonard,” Amy said.

“Does it involve Leonard? I’ve never been great at keeping secrets,” Penny said.

“No. It’s about Sheldon and me. I really want to talk to you. Can you please promise me this one?” Amy asked.

Penny could see that her friend did look a little stressed. She looked happy, but there was some kind of panic in her eyes too. Penny decided that she could keep one secret. “Leonard isn’t here. Come on in. Want something to drink?”

“I’m fine,” Amy said with a smile. Now that she was here, she didn’t know how to spill this secret. She took a deep breath and decided to be blunt about it. “Sheldon and I had sex last night.”

Penny dropped the bottle of water she had just pulled from her fridge. There was no way she would have guessed that this is what Amy had come to say. If Amy hadn’t looked so happy, a pending separation would have been more believable.

“Really? I’m not sure if I’m more surprised that it took you three months to have sex with your husband or that you actually had sex with your husband,” Penny said. “Did you like it?”

“It was amazing. He took very good care of me. Twice. Plus he told me that he loved me. He loves me like I love him, Penny,” Amy admitted.

Penny gave her friend a soft smile and felt tears pick in the corners of her eyes as she joined Amy on the couch. The look of joy on Amy’s face was so sweet and endearing that Penny reached over and pat Amy’s knee. She was reminded of her own realization of loving Leonard. Penny was overjoyed for her friends.

“Of course I’ll keep your secret, but can you? The look of love is so plain on your face.”

“I don’t know. I promised Sheldon that we would give it a test run. I can’t believe he’s my husband. I’d ask him to marry me if we weren’t already wed,” Amy said with a little bounce.


End file.
